Sermons

November 15 , 2009

‘From Barren into Birthing Pangs’

Reverend Philip Cable

Based on 1 Samuel 1:4-20, 2:1-10, and Mark 13:1-8

(Lead the Congregation up to the balcony (literally or figuratively) with Love (means leaving the option for people to stay down and not climb the stairs.) Sit them in the pews.)

I think when Jesus climbed to the Mount of Olives
…. leading his closest disciples
…. his best students
…. the real keeners
and sat them down looking out over the city of Jerusalem;

looking down over the Roman occupied, multi-racial, multi-tribal city; I think he knew just exactly what he was doing. From this vantage point a great deal of the city, the big picture of this urban life could be taken in at one glance, with one sweep of the eyes and turn of the head. There down below and across from them the massive stones of the temple structure and all it stood for shifted into a new and maybe more manageable perspective. It was as if from this place of distance, from this perspective, from this vantage point the massive stone fort like bastion of the temple, the centre of Religious practice for so many of the citizens had been shrunk as if into a manageable crushing size.

Have you ever played that game of squashing heads? I think it was ‘The Kid’s in the Hall’ that brought it back into our everyday thinking. That childhood game of picking out your perceived enemies across the room, across the auditorium, in the cafeteria, getting them in the view between your thumb and index finger and squishing them, or just their heads with your imagination. Seeing your bully down the street and imaginatively squishing them before you turn and go a way that will avoid confrontation. Imagine had Hanna only had this tool to humorously deal with her bully taunter Peninnah.

I think it was as if Jesus intentionally brought his closest disciples up on that mountain side to not just face off against the imposing occupying Roman government and army … a force far beyond any military or economic capacity that he could muster … but to face off against the very centre of Jewish Religious life … the temple itself and the sacrificial observance practice which completely lost sight of the God who pays close and particular attention to barren midlife women like Hanna. The God who pays attention to Hanna not for her personal gain, a beautiful ideal cuddly little boy for her to hold onto, dote on and grasp as a treasured trophy into her old age. No an infant Samuel to be offered to serve the God whose goal it is to lift the poor out of ashes and dust. A God whose goal is to feed the hungry and send the rich away empty handed.

I think when Jesus climbed the Mount of Olives with his closest disciples, his best students and sat them down looking over the temple it was to face off with the structure of the temple;

- not just it’s imposing stone and architecture, belying the power abuse of humanities addiction to empire building; attempts to turn faith and faithfulness into exercises of building the biggest and most indestructible fort or ramparts.

-and not just facing off with the churches governing structures which had sold out all integrity to the occupying force of Rome … the political and economic system of their day.

- But to face off against that place deep in themselves, deep in their soul and psyche, which had lost touch with their ancient biblical story of a God who liberates and frees those who’s lives have become enslaved by the occupying forces and religious structures and activities of their day.
From this particular vantage point he wanted to remind them of Barren Hanna, misunderstood, bullied Hanna, crying out for a son to dedicate to God’s vision of restoration, liberation, justice seeking and healing.

Why?
He wanted them to remember how barren the current Jerusalem and religious establishment left them feeling. He wanted to put that bareness in perspective. He wanted them to see just how transient the seemingly impenetrable powers of those political and religious structures could be … just like the mortar on this building. Time and the power of faithful creative choices, even fateful actions could take it all away … and like the freed Hebrew tribes from Egypt these disciples, students, keeners could be freed to birth the new day and the long held vision of God.

One never to pull wool blinders over our eyes, always modeling clarity and transparency Jesus refers to the forces of time and history …. warring factions, famine, earthquakes. He refers to all of these for what they simply are … an intricate part of the ongoing birthing pangs in the delivery process of our co-Creation with God of God’s vision of Love, Life, Vibrancy and Beauty.

Next week, next Sunday morning we will gather in this space below us for a congregational meeting to set some choices and directions for the co-creative birthing process God calls us into as a congregation at this particular time in our faith journey together.

Some of us might be feeling a bit like Hannah, on the barren side as our feelings might be overwhelmed by empty pews... or by the lack of a fully emerged, delivered and deliverable plan for our future directions at EHP.

Like Hannah … we all need to have our anxieties met, listened too and nurtured by a pre-pregnancy coach. Eli, the old priest may at first have misunderstood Hannah’s anxiety and made a wrong assumption. Every pastor that has ever graced this church has made their pastoral mistakes or miscalculations. But he does hang in there with her. He hears her deep desire and prayers all the way through. Hears the depth of her faithfulness and commitment to God and God’s way and will.
And from that place of deep prayerful listening he can gently encourage her to relax and trust that God’s Love and blessing will enter her. Eli’s prayer is that she be able to breathe deeply with trust that God will hear her prayer and impregnate her life with God’s new life and vibrancy.

We know Hannah heard the love and care in this coaching and relaxed. We know this because her appetite was restored.

I wonder if we disciples here at EHP could pause, and breathe deeply, and pray that God would restore our appetites for feeding on God’s word, scripture. Could our appetites be so restored that we would take the time over God’s good word and share it with one another like a fine multi course meal prepared with great love and grace. Not a fast food drive through window serving of scripture, conversation and prayer. But a fine multi-course meal, each bite taken in with wonder, savored, relished, chewed a bit and held on the pallet to let every good flavour, and every luscious aroma nurture and feed our souls, open our minds, imaginations and spirits?
Could we nurture each other to pause and breathe deeply and enter the long silences of prayer? Prayers like Hannah’s generous desire to become pregnant with nothing short of God’s full vision of peace, salvation and justice.
Could we pause, and breathe and pray … for paths of truly healthy living, actions of healthy community building and nurture?

Could we pause and breathe and pray to let go of whatever blocks God’s Love, vision and hope from being firmly planted in our being, in our imaginations, and in our loving actions?

May we pause and breathe and pray to be led to that spiritual place, that mountain side vantage point which gives us nothing short of Christ’s miraculous perspective … and offers to truly transform us into instruments of great imaginative vision, inspired dreams and joyful service of the only worthwhile goals Justice, profound Forgiveness and abiding Peace.

God will show us how to do this, where to find the time, how to nurture and open the space, if we allow the volume on our anxiety to be turned down. The first step is to just observe the level of anxious static that has so become our background noise in life that we have forgotten to listen with faith. The faith that we have is enough … and like Hannah our thoughtful and soulful prayer will be heard and answered. All who hunger in spirit and body will be fed by our gracious and loving God moving and acting through our faithful lives and creative life choices.

The Rev. Philip Cable
Minister; Emmanuel Howard Park United Church.